Automated coin accepting and dispensing equipment is required in a wide variety of machines, particularly those which are designed to be operated directly by a consumer. For example, coin accepting and dispensing equipment is required in the user operated, self-service payment systems used in retail outlets such as supermarkets. Other examples of machines in which the equipment is required include vending machines from which consumer products can be purchased and various types of gaming machines which allow a user to play a game in exchange for a fixed monetary sum.
A problem with current coin accepting and dispensing equipment is that inserted coins are singulated in a slow singulating system and fed to a gravity propelled coin acceptor. Acceptable coins are allowed to fall under gravity along an accept path to a coin sorter, where they are sorted according to denomination. From the sorter, the coins are directed, again under the influence of gravity, into coin hoppers, coin storage or along a reject path. The coins therefore lose considerable height both in the coin acceptor and in the coin sorting process, meaning that the coin output is located significantly below the coin input. This can be inconvenient, particularly for users whose physical constraints means that they may have a limited ability to input coins at one location and receive change or credit at a second, lower location. It also requires a significant amount of vertical space, which can be at a premium in retail environments.
It is therefore desirable that the vertical distance between the coin inlet and outlet is reduced to provide improved ease-of-use and to allow a corresponding reduction in the height of the equipment. Another preferable feature of the accepting and dispensing equipment is that the speed at which the equipment is able to process a transaction should be improved over previous systems. The time between coins being inserted by a consumer and coins being dispensed as change or credit following completion of the transaction should be as short as possible in order to avoid delays. This is particularly important where a queue of consumers are waiting to use the equipment, as is often the case in a supermarket or other retail environment.
It is desirable that the automated coin accepting and dispensing equipment can accept and dispense as many different denominations and types of coins as possible. It is also preferable that the equipment has a self-contained character such that it can operate independently. This generally requires the equipment to have a large coin storage capacity to allow it to operate for long periods without requiring a frequent emptying/re-filling of coins by a service person.
However, the size and nature of the machines in which the accepting and dispensing equipment is located can be such that the equipment must fit into a relatively small space in the machine. In a retail or casino environment, where floor space is limited, the footprint of the machine is a key parameter and is kept as low as possible in order to increase the number of machines that can be installed in a defined area of floor. This is similar to the height considerations already discussed. The result has often been to compromise one or more of the objectives set out above. For example, in order to provide accepting and dispensing equipment which has a footprint suitable for use in modern retail machines, the number of coin types which can be accepted by the equipment has been limited. Additionally or alternatively, the size of the coin storage or hoppers has been reduced meaning that the equipment requires a more regular emptying by a service person.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a more compact solution than has been available previously. This would provide a direct and measurable benefit for the operator.